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Turns out that Cate, who is best known for his unparalleled dedication to tiki bar culture at his Hayes Valley bar Smuggler’s Cove, is also a fan of the British Isles — London in particular, where he lived for period of time in the mid-1990s.

So when Cate’s former bar manager, Alex Smith (Gitane, Novela) approached him with prospect of opening a gin bar, he was sold. He felt that much the way Smuggler’s Cove tells the history of rum, Whitechapel would give him the chance to tell the story of gin.

(You can read more about Cate and Smith’s gin love affair in this story by contributing Chronicle writer Anna Roth.)

However, Cate couldn’t just open any old gin joint on the corner of Polk and Turk. He wanted to make gin fun and provide an immersive experience for guests.

He had to “Smuggle-ize it” so to speak.

A tiled sign near the entrance of Whitechapel. Photo: Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle

Long obsessed with London’s many abandoned Underground stations, Cate struck on an idea: What if there was a station that was abandoned in 1890, and some blokes found it and made it their secret gin clubhouse?

To bring his whimsical gin fantasia to life, Cate tapped designer Ignacio “Notch” Gonzalez — a San Jose-based hot rod builder and metal worker who designs tiki bars on the side, including Cate’s own Smuggler’s Cove.

Cate is well aware that London’s Whitechapel Station is still a fully functioning tube stop; he simply decided to use 1890s period photos of the station, along with other vintage ephemera, as an inspirational jumping off point for what he calls “one crazy fantasy.”

It’s an apt description of the bar/restaurant.

Entering Whitechapel is transportive. You leave the humdrum streets of San Francisco behind and enter a detail-rich fantastical world. The whole experience feels as if, rather than walking into a local bar, you had hopped in H.G. Wells’ time machine or stepped through C.S. Lewis’s magical wardrobe. However, instead of finding any Eloi or a White Witch, you’ll find yourself happily lost in a wonderful world of gin.

Read on for a room-by-room exploration of the space, and be sure to check back Monday for additional Inside Scoop coverage of Whitechapel’s food.

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There are three main areas in Whitechapel, which is about twice the size of Smuggler’s Cove: The Platform, the Distillery and the Victorian Gin Palace, with each space offering its own distinct ambiance (see below). While the same food and drink menus will be available in each, to start, reservations will only be taken for the Gin Palace room. According to Cate, who cites bar/food programs like ABV, 15 Romolo and Trick Dog as touchstones, this is a craft cocktail bar with great food, not a restaurant with great cocktails.

1. The Platform

To create this space, which serves as the main bar area, Cate’s team gutted the former nightclub’s interior — with the exception of an ornate wooden bar back that nicely fit the new theme — and added riveted buttresses and a barrel-vaulted ceiling, which Cate says is the single hardest thing they’ve built.

The Platform. Photo: Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle

Beautiful pieces of plaster work and moldings — reproductions and castings from San Francisco Victorian homes — from a now-closed local company called SF Victoriana add to the room’s ornate design. For even more detail Gonzalez added fake water damage details to the ceiling.

Overhead moldings and light fixtures designed after a 19th century gas lamp. Photo: Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle

The green tiles used throughout the space are designed by architect Leslie Green and modeled after period Tube tiles from 1908. Cate ordered the tiles from a U.K. company called Fired Earth, which makes reproductions and replacement tiles for the Underground. On shipping the heavy ceramics across the pond, Cate says it was a “spectacular” investment, but worth the cost for that added touch of authenticity.

Another thing of note behind the bar is Whitechapel’s last call bell, which Cate commissioned from the prestigious Whitechapel Bell Foundry. (In operation over 500 years, and Britain’s oldest manufacturing company, the foundry made the Liberty Bell and Big Ben.)

Regarding the level of detail, says Cate, “I want people’s eyes to fall on something new every time they visit.”

The last call bell, cast in London at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Photo: Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle

The wall behind these high banquettes in the Platform room features timetables of the old Metropolitan District Railway, which runs both west and east of Whitechapel Station.

A decorative rail schedule on the behind the bar’s high banquette seats. Photo: Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle

2. The Distillery

The walls in this tucked-away corner are textured with hundreds of fake rivets and distressed to look like old rusted metal. There’s also a fake copper still.

The Distillery. Photo: Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle

Fantastical lighting fixtures that have just a touch of Jules Verne to them illuminate the cozy room. Each fixture features a different gin botanical that’s placed inside a clear tube filled with water and wrapped in copper tubing. It’s equal parts lighting and water feature. Cate says he wanted the space to offer a soothing below-decks feel.

The bubbling light fixtures in the Distillery each feature a different gin botanical. Photo: Connor Radnovich/The Chronicle

3. The Victorian Gin Palace

The final room is a more formal dining area that was modeled after the ornately appointed gin pubs of the late 1800s.

The gilded wallpaper was designed for Whitechapel by graphic artist Justin Lew, who also happens to own Divisadero bar Tsk/Tsk. The pattern features what Cate considers to be the icons of Whitechapel: allusions to royalty, a cocktail glass, a juniper sprig, and beaker and moon to represent the alchemy of gin. You’ll notice the pattern elsewhere, like the coasters and barware.

These photos merely scratch the surface. For the full Whitechapel experience, you’ll have to visit for yourself, and be sure to chat up your bartender to find out more about the stories behind the space, as well as the cocktails and food. And again, be sure to check back on Monday for a look at Whitechapel’s food program.